Cars, utilities, phone systems: Building owner expects repairs to take time after water main break floods Newport Beach parking garage

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A parking garage near 4100 MacArthur Boulevard became flooded around 2 a.m. Wednesday when a 10-inch water main broke, causing an unknown amount of water to flood nearby streets.

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Nearly 1 million gallons if excess water from a water main break is pumped into the storm drain system.

Building owner and CEO of Craig Reality Group, Steven Craig talks with reporters after a flood in his business parking garage in Newport Beach.

Irvine Ranch Water District crews maintain two of eight water pumps in a flooded garage on Wednesday morning.

A Irvine Ranch Water District worker prepares a compression sleeve to repair a broken 10" water main.

Building tenants photograph their underground garage after a water main break early Wednesday morning.

A GMC truck and four other cars slowly emerge from a flood after a water main break early Wednesday morning.

Irvine Ranch Water District crews discover a hole in a 10" water main after it broke causing a large flood early Wednesday morning in Newport Beach.

Irvine Ranch Water District crews uncover a hole in a 10" water main after it broke causing a large flood early Wednesday morning in Newport Beach.

The building manager waits as Irvine Ranch Water District crews clean up and make repairs to a water main that broke causing a large flood early Wednesday morning, filling a nearby business parking garage in Newport Beach.

one car emerges from muddy water after a water main break caused a large flood of water early Wednesday morning filling a nearby business parking garage in Newport Beach.

A radio news reporter captures sounds of rushing water as an Irvine Ranch Water District worker directs pump water with sand bags after a water main break caused a large flood of water early Wednesday morning filling a nearby business parking garage in Newport Beach.

Irvine Ranch Water District utility crews work to repair a broken water main Wednesday morning in Newport Beach. An unknown amount of water flooded streets and a parking garage near 4100 MacArthur Boulevard.

A parking garage near 4100 MacArthur Boulevard flooded around 2 a.m. Wednesday after a water main broke near the Newport Beach building.

An Irvine Ranch Water District worker tends to one of 8 pumps after a water main break caused a large flood of water early Wednesday morning filling a nearby business parking garage in Newport Beach.

NEWPORT BEACH – A water main break flooded a business parking garage with nearly 1 million gallons of water early Wednesday morning, destroying cars, equipment and causing traffic slowdowns on nearby streets.

Water district officials said it would take days to determine what caused a relatively new pipe, installed sometime in the 1980s, to rupture.

Irvine Ranch Water District officials responded around 2:15 a.m. to a 10-inch water main break near a multi-office business complex at 4100 MacArthur Boulevard, said Beth Beeman, the Irvine Ranch Water District public affairs director.

The building houses several real estate company offices, which have had to cease operations for the time being.

The parking garage was nearly filled with water from the broken pipe leaking at about 2,500 gallons per minute, said Paul Cook, general manager for the Irvine Ranch Water District.

Steven L. Craig, owner of the building and CEO of Craig Realty Group housed inside the structure, said five cars destroyed belonged to his company along with one other car that belonged to a building tenant.

The cars — including a GMC Yukon, two Priuses and a Mercedes — were the least of the losses, he said.

“All the utilities came into the building… they were in the basement,” Craig said at the scene.

He said phone systems, hundreds of lines of equipment and servers were among the workings of the building kept in the flooded area. Craig estimated they would require hundreds of thousands of dollars and lots of time to repair.

“It was those backbone utilities that help regulate power up the building. It’s not the kind of stuff you can buy and get off a shelf somewhere. It’s ordered and takes two, three, four weeks to get it.”

Drivers were unable to travel westbound on Von Karman Avenue between MacArthur Boulevard and Birch Street between the time of the break until shortly before 5 a.m. due to the flood, according to the Newport Beach Police Department.

Utilities wereshut down to the office building adjacent to the parking garage during the incident but were later restored, Beeman said.

Employees were not allowed to enter the office building while authorities drained the garage, which was not cleared until shortly before noon.

Crewmen were able to seal the broken pipe to avoid further flooding, but worked through the morning in an attempt to figure out the cause.

At 11:39 a.m., the water district announced the pipe was fixed and water service restored to the affected buildings. Meanwhile, the cleanup continued.

Beeman said repairs to the road and area would likely take a few days. After the physical repairs, Beeman said the water district would work with the building owner to start the claims process for damages.

“Whatever we’re responsible for we’ll stand behind.”

Craig said the basement had a sump pump in the basement to prevent flooding. He thinks the machine was overwhelmed by the amount of water from the main.

He predicts fire officials will red tag the building and he will have to relocate the company while safety and security devices are working again.

Alma Fausto is a crime, breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. She has worked for the Register since 2013. Previously, she lived in New York City while studying at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she covered the growing Mexican immigrant population in the city. Alma has also lived and studied in California’s rural and agricultural Central Valley. She’s an Orange County native from Costa Mesa, and in her spare time likes to read, visit libraries and drink good gin.

Ken Steinhardt is the only photographer on staff that is exclusively assigned to cover breaking news. We chain him to the inside of his car so he can listen to emergency frequencies on his scanner uninterrupted. He is usually the first to find out about breaking news when it is happening and we think it shows in his pictures.